Ghost's Story
by Night Sky Bliss
Summary: Joel and Ellie's journey after they left Pittsburgh. What if they join up with a companion for the long trip?
1. Paths Crossed

_Damon was gone. What do I do now?_ The dog, a long hair, black-and-white collie mix, was breathing heavily, standing in the damp grass, trying to comprehend the last few minutes. Those nasty-smelling _things_ were still roaming about. He looked back and saw Damon's body. Those _things_ had killed him, as they tried to run away. _Why didn't I stay with him? _The collie mix tortured himself with that question. He was a much faster runner, but tried to stay close to his best friend. All it took was a stumble and those _things_ swarmed Damon. He looked back, heard a sickening gurgle, then Damon was gone. Three of the _things_ lunged after him, but he easily sprinted away into the nearby overgrown park. His pursuers wandered and jerked aimlessly, then left to look for others. Seconds later, he was alone.

He listened carefully, and couldn't hear anything but the fading sickening moans and shrieks of those _things_. His ultrakeen nose couldn't smell any living people, either. Not caring that it might attract more of those _things_, the collie mix whimpered for his companion, his best friend. They had been traveling since Damon found him as a puppy, going to someplace called "Boston", where Damon said we'd be safe.

Confused and lonely, the collie mix lay down in the tall grass where he could still see Damon. Putting his head on his paws, he went to sleep.

Joel and Ellie walked in silence along the road outside of Pittsburgh. Both were still numb from what happened to Henry and Sam.

They were walking through a residential area in a town called Aliquippa. Joel saw something, stopped and held up his hand. Ellie stopped and they both crouched behind a rusted-out car. Ellie saw what Joel had seen. There was a fresh body just ahead, close to the road. Beyond it, the road curved to the left and what had been a city park, now overgrown, was straight ahead.

"Infected." Joel whispered. "Looks like they've been here recent." They had left the radio tower the morning after they buried Henry and Sam. Ellie and Joel silently scanned the neighborhood and listened intently for several minutes.

"Anything?" Joel asked.

"Nothing," Ellie replied. "Do you think it's safe to go through?"

"Let's give it a shot. "

They crept behind the cars, passing the body by the road. As they approached the park, they both stopped again to look and listen.

Even though he was sleeping, the collie mix heard the two coming down the street, awoke quickly and went on full alert. Sniffing quietly, he quickly determined they were people and not those _things._ Not that people were much better. Damon and he had to run and hide a few times when bad people went after them. His senses told him these people weren't like the bad ones, but he was still cautious. Their smell also had a hint of - sadness? Nevertheless, he flattened himself and tried to hide in the grass.

"Joel - what's that?"

"Where?"

"Just ahead, in the tall grass."

They saw patches of black and white in the tall grass. Ellie crept up behind another car closer to the park.

"Ellie - be careful!" Joel whispered.

Without turning, she gave him a thumbs-up. She was close enough to see the ears and outline of a muzzle.

"Joel," she turned and whispered. "it's a dog."

"Might be wild. Best we give it a wide berth."

Ellie paused for a second, torn between what she knew was the right thing and her want to see if it was friendly.

Giving Joel a nod, she crept back to him. They both angled away from the park, behind some piles of debris and went further down the road.

The collie mix knew he'd been spotted as he saw the girl approach. Tensing up to run, just in case, he watched carefully. The girl, still trying to hide, came closer to him while the man stayed a few feet back. He learned early in life to trust in his nose. Those _things _had an awful smell - a smell of death and uncontrollable violence. A breeze, almost unnoticeable, blew the man's scent toward him. He sniffed - it was a rich and sweet smell of a person. He shifted his smell to the girl, who was closer. He could detect a little of that awful scent of those _things _on the girl, but only a tiny bit. His impression of her was that she had a tiny bit of what made those _things _so awful inside of her, but she had killed them and it would not harm her or make her into one of those _things. _The scent, her scent and the man's scent, was deep and rich inside his nose. They were the smells of people who were kind and gentle toward dogs - like his Damon.

The girl started to move away. Somewhere, deep down inside, in the thousands of years that people and dogs and been together, his instincts told the collie mix these people were okay and that if he wanted to approach them, they would not hurt him. He stood up and walked out of the grass toward them, about ten feet away. He stopped and watched them. Slowly, he wagged his tail and waited for them to make the next move.

"Joel!" Ellie whispered. "Look!"

Joel saw a black-and white, medium-to-large sized dog standing close to them. His long tail wagged slowly. Joel and Ellie knelt down together.

"Hey," Ellie said softly, "we won't hurt you."

"It's okay," Joel said, extending his arm, palm down.

The collie mix paused a second, then walked to Joel's outstretched arm. By then, Ellie put out her arm, too. He sniffed both deeply and again took in the rich, warm smell of two people like his Damon. He walked a few steps closer and the man and the girl stroked his head gently. It was a feeling that, although Damon had petted him just a few hours ago, he felt like he missed for a long time. He sat down, luxuriating in the feeling as both petted him in long, gentle strokes.

"Aren't you a pretty dog?" Joel said softly. He was a pretty dog. Before the world went mad, dog people would say he was a mix of collie, border collie and Australian shepherd.

"Can we keep him?" Ellie said, "I mean, can he go with us?"

"Don't see why not." Joel said. "Might be good to have a dog around."

"What should we call him - or her?" Ellie said.

Joel bent over to look under the dog, who by now was standing up again. Ellie giggled.

"This is a boy dog." Joel proudly announced. "If I remember my dog parts right."

That caused another giggle from Ellie. "Do you have a name in mind?" Joel asked.

"Well," Ellie said, "he was kind of there, just sort of magically appearing. Do you want to call him 'Ghost'?"

"Sounds good." Joel said. "Does that sound good to you, Ghost?" He said, talking to the dog.

"Ghost," Ellie said, petting him. "Do you want to be Ghost?" she said emphasizing the name.

The collie mix understood that this was what these people were going to call him, much like Damon called him 'Shep'. He learned quickly that when Damon said 'Shep' he would pay attention. Now, when these two said 'Ghost', he'd pay attention as well. Not that it mattered what they called him, Ghost was just overjoyed to be with people again.

Joel and Ellie stood up. Ghost's blue eyes glanced between one and the other, looking expectantly.

"Come with us?" Ellie said, patting her leg as she and Joel and walked down the street.

Ghost cocked his head for a second then broke in a trot, tail wagging, He caught up with them and happily matched their pace as they came to the end of the neighborhood. Ghost looked back one last time at Damon's body and sadly remembered their time together. He would never forget him, even as he had two new companions and two new best friends.

a/n: One year ago today, I lost my awesome dog, Ghost. That's his picture I used for the story's avatar/icon. Since The Last of Us has piqued my interest in fan fiction, I thought it would be nice to include him as a character in Joel & Ellie's journey. Ghost has a good story, too. Thanksgiving Day, in 2002, my friend and I were going to meet my mother and my brother for Thanksgiving dinner. We crossed a bridge over the Atchafalaya River on Highway 1 here in Louisiana. At the top, huddled next to the rail, was a black and white dog. As we passed, we saw his head move. As soon as we crossed the bridge and could pull off, we did and ran up the bridge. He looked like he'd been hit by a car, but we didn't know how badly he was hurt. Fortune was with us that day, as a couple of other people saw him too and came to help. One directed the traffic to one lane, away from the dog, and the other had a truck that he backed up to where we were. Even though he'd been through a horrific experience, not once did the dog turn aggressive or try to bite when we helped him, even as I picked him up and put him in the truck. Again, fortune was with us as the fellow in the truck knew of a veterinarian only a mile or so away that had his clinic at his house. The vet was nice as could be, taking us (and the dog - who you might have guessed by now - was Ghost) in. The vet determined nothing was broken, but there were several deep cuts that he treated. All through this, Ghost was the kindest, most gentle dog I'd ever seen. Ghost stayed at the vet for a few days, and the vet asked around if anybody lost a dog. Nobody claimed him, so Ghost went home with me. Like Ghost in the story, his regular vet said he was most likely a border collie/Australian shepherd mix, with a little bit of regular collie thrown in. I had him for almost ten more years. He was such a sweet, loving dog and I miss him every day. I just hope I do him right by this story. Thanks everyone, so much, for taking the time to read and, if you are so inclined, comment.


	2. Goodbye, Pennsylvania

Just outside of Aliquippa, right before Interstate 376, Joel, Ellie and Ghost came upon the remains of what had been a large sporting goods store. The entrance was a large black square; its glass doors had long since been broken.

"Should we check it out, or go around?" Ellie asked.

Joel paused, thinking. "We need to look for shelter - a tent, in case we can't find a house or barn to stay in. We got us a long trip ahead. Best we check it out real careful."

The infected seemed to be drawn to places like this. Perhaps it was because of some remnant of their humanity remembered that they had worked or shopped there. At any rate, possible rewards inside outweighed their first impulse to sneak around.

Twenty or so decaying cars remained the lot. Joel and Elle used their cover to watch and listen carefully. Ghost, sensing that Joel and Ellie were trying to be quiet and stay hidden, was cautious as well. The infected generally ignored dogs, but Ghost was cautious nevertheless. As they reached the last car closest to the entrance, Ghost quietly growled. Joel and Ellie looked at him.

"What is it, Ghost?" Ellie whispered. "Something there?"

Ghost stared at the door, but didn't growl again. Instead, he just stood, head down, eyes fixed on the opening.

Joel picked up a chunk of rock and heaved it at the store. It connected solidly just to the right of the opening. A few seconds later, they heard the telltale click-click-click as two clickers came out and jerked over to where the sound was. Joel unslung his bow, drew an arrow back, aimed and let fly. The arrow hit right where the clicker's eye socket used to be. Kill. The other heard the sound of the arrow hitting and shuffled close to the fallen creature, then paused. Mistake. Joel had already had another arrow waiting and this one hit right above what had been his ear. Another kill.

Ghost watched with interest as the second clicker fell. He smelled the two _things_ well before they reached their position**. **As they hid behind the car, he warned Joel and Ellie like he warned Damon of danger, with a low growl. He stared at the opening, silently telling Joel and Ellie that the two _things_ would come out from there. Joel and Ellie picked up on it, and Ghost watched as Joel drew them out and killed them. "I guess they're pretty smart, for not being a dog," Ghost thought to himself. He carefully sniffed the air and didn't smell any more of those _things. _He broke his stare and peered carefully around the car at the entrance.

"Is that all of 'em?" Ellie asked. "Look at Ghost - he isn't staring at the door anymore. Do you think he's letting us know that was all the infected?"

"I think you're right," Joel said. "He seems to have pretty keen senses where it comes to infected. Still won't hurt to be careful, though."

The trio made their way slowly to the place where the front door used to be. As they reached the opening, they both looked at Ghost. He looked from one to the other and slowly wagged his tail.

"Guess that means it's okay," Ellie said.

"Still, I'd keep a close eye out." Joel replied.

"Joel, you don't believe Ghost? You'll hurt his feelings." Ellie said, patting Ghost's head.

"El-," Joel started to say something, then saw the impish smile on Ellie's face. He allowed himself a small smile. "Good dog," he said to Ghost.

Joel pulled the arrows out of the dead clickers, cleaned the muck off as best he could and returned them to his makeshift quiver. The three travelers entered the store, instinctively pausing to listen. Ghost, satisfied there was no one else in the store, trotted ahead to sniff some fallen shelves, and marked it. Most of the interior of the store was taken up by fallen and decaying racks that held clothes. They had long since been looted. The other areas were picked clean as well. No tents, no other gear, nothing to use. The only things remaining were some heavy discs that had been part of a weightlifting set. Other than rotting desks, chairs and file cabinets, the store offices were bare as well. The back storeroom had been cleaned out, too.

Joel returned to the main part of the store. Ellie and Ghost were still looking around. As he looked up, he was attracted by Ellie waving her hand at him.

Joel followed her back to the hallway where the bathrooms were. Ellie led him down the hall to where Ghost was sitting. She stopped at a metal door that was located between the men's and women's doors. It was marked 'janitor'. "It's locked," Ellie said. "Why would they lock a janitor's closet?"

"Good question," Joel said, getting out a shiv.

"Wait!" Ellie said. You don't have to waste a shiv. What about those heavy metal things back there? Can we use them to open the door instead?"

Joel paused a second, and smiled. "That's good thinkin'." He left to go get one of the weights.

"Did you hear that, Ghost? That's good thinkin'." Ellie smiled, ruffling his head.

Joel came back with a weight. It took only a few hits to knock the doorknob off. Joel reached in and manually pulled the bolt out. Tensing, just in case, he slowly opened the door.

As he shone his flashlight on the floor, Joel noticed the remains of a skeleton. Whoever barricaded himself in there had been dead many years. Ellie cautiously played her flashlight in the darkened room while Ghost stayed outside of the door. An automatic handgun was on the floor, covered in what looked to be the remains of his or her hand. Dried blood caked the floor.

"So he killed himself?" Ellie asked.

"Looks like it," Joel replied, looking at the monitors set in the wall on one side.

"What's that?" Ellie said, pointing at the monitors with her flashlight.

"Back before the world - moved on - stores had cameras set up to watch for shoplifters. The security people would watch the monitors in rooms like this one. This poor fella thought it would make a good place to stay," Joel said.

Ellie continued to shine her light around the room. Against the wall she saw a case of water bottles and a case of freeze-dried food.

"Joel," she said, gesturing with her light.

"Ellie - this is great! This stuff lasts forever." He reached over the body, picked up the case of food and handed it to Ellie.

"Set it in the hall?" She said.

"That's good." Joel replied. "I'd be scared to drink this water, what with it sitting all this time. Now that food - if the packages aren't torn, that food should still be good."

"What about him?" Ellie gestured at the body. "He had food and water, why did he kill himself?"

"Who knows? When things started going to shit, people were doing crazy things. Maybe he thought this was better than starving to death once he realized nobody was coming for him." Joel stared for several seconds. "Things went real bad, real quick."

In the hall, they examined the food. The packages that were left looked undamaged.

"Beef stew, chicken stroganoff, chili, chicken and rice - wow! I didn't realize they had this," Ellie said, sorting the packets.

"Yeah, when the outbreak first started, this was more valuable than gold. Then, as people died off or became infected there was more food for everyone." Joel said.

"Did you ever eat it?" Ellie asked.

"I've had it before. I don't think it is any better or worse than the stuff we've had to scrounge up, but it's better than canned peaches. It's food, and it'll keep." Joel said.

Ellie counted up twenty-two packets and divided them between her and Joel's backpacks. Ghost, bored with this activity, lay down with his head on his paws.

"One more thing," Joel said. He went back into the room and picked up the pistol. He ejected the clip. "Nine millimeter - these'll fit what we've got." There were eleven bullets left. He removed them and looked them over. "They look okay."

"Well, let's split them," Ellie said.

"No," Joel said. "There's a chance they might misfire, as old as they are." He removed his own nine-millimeter pistol and counted out eleven bullets, which he gave to Ellie. "Here, take these. I'll use this ammo. I want to make sure if you gotta shoot, yours will work."

Ellie took the bullets and filled up the clip in her own automatic, putting the remaining bullets in a small pouch in her backpack. "Thanks," she said.

Joel loaded up his own clip and holstered his weapon. They made one final sweep before leaving the abandoned store and continuing down the road.

As the sun was setting, Joel, Ellie and Ghost spent the night in an abandoned service building by the Shippingport Bridge over the Ohio River.

"How do you like freeze dried food?" Joel asked Ellie, as they shared some chicken stroganoff.

"It's okay. Better than peaches, like you said." She offered a little bit of it to Ghost on her finger earlier. He sniffed it politely, and then declined.

"Fine then," Ellie said in a mock huff. "You had your rabbit and I've got my chicken whatever," referring to a rabbit Ghost caught earlier. Ghost thumped his tail.

The next morning, they crossed the bridge over the Ohio River. At a small convenience store at the base of the bridge, fortune smiled upon them for the second time in less than a day. Ellie found a laminated, spiral bound road atlas of what was the United States. It was in surprisingly good shape. Joel had a general idea of where he was going - "just walk west," he thought to himself. Having an actual book of maps, though, was a godsend.

"Ellie," Joel said, "I think you found the most valuable thing we have so far. This will make it so much easier."

"Thanks, Joel. Do you want me to carry it?"

"If you've got room."

"I've got room." Ellie smiled.

In this world of decay and despair, Joel realized they wouldn't be able to reach Tommy without hope. Ellie, this girl he had known for only a short time, was smart, resourceful and her instincts were spot on. Far from pandering to her, he genuinely wanted to let her know that she was doing a good job in the worst of circumstances.

Ellie and Ghost sat down on the curb in front of the store. "Joel," she said, "do you want to see where we need to go?"

Joel sat down next to her as she opened the atlas. "And this brings us to our first problem. I think we should avoid the big cities and towns - more chance of infected or hunters. But, the cities will have more chance of finding food and other things we need."

Ellie opened the page to Ohio. She pointed at a blue line. "These are the main roads, right?"

"Yeah, the interstates."

"Well, these other roads, like this number 30 here," Ellie pointed at the page, "they seem to go between places that aren't as big, but they might still have stuff. Like that place we found the food back there. That wasn't a big city but we scored. We'd probably be safer, too." Ellie said.

Joel looked at the map. "This is the bridge we just crossed," he said, pointing. "So we follow this road down the river, which will lead us to this Highway 30. It looks like that goes west."

Ellie followed the highway with her finger. "And it looks like it goes past places that we might find stuff, too."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Joel said, getting up. He offered his hand to Ellie, who took it and stood up.

The guy, the girl and the dog resumed walking along the Ohio River, going west, bound for Wyoming.


	3. Teamwork

Joel, Ellie and Ghost followed Highway 30 west across Ohio. As they went through south Canton, Joel found a usable tent in one of the houses. Most of the other houses they searched were empty, having long since been looted. Once in a while, though, they came across a house that had some canned food and other items left. Sadly, the houses with supplies were usually guarded by the long-dead, crumbling skeleton of its former owner.

"Oh, gees," Ellie said, as they were searching another house. "This looks like two people," gesturing at the bones on the floor. "It looks like they were on top of each other."

"Yeah," Joel said. "It was probably the owner and a looter - killed each other." He stared at the bodies for almost a minute. Ellie came up and gently put her hand on his shoulder.

"That must have been sick," she said, "to live through it. I've known this all my life, but you knew of things the way they were before, and to have to go through it."

"It was a nightmare. After - I got to where I didn't even think about it. Just think about the next hour, the next day." He paused. "Let's finish looking around."

"Where's Ghost?" Ellie asked.

"Back yard?" Joel answered, walking to where the sliding glass doors would be. Both went through, and saw Ghost at the edge where the back yard ended and the encroaching undergrowth began. Ghost's head was poked in the thicket. As Joel got closer, he broke out in a smile.

"Blackberries! Good dog!" he said.

The edge of the thicket was covered in the thorny blackberry vines. Sweet, ripe blackberries dotted the growth everywhere they could see.

They picked and ate blackberries for the next half hour, before searching the rest of the house and moving on.

A week later, just before leaving Ohio, they sat around a kitchen table in the house they spent the night, just outside of Van Wert, Ohio. It was early morning, and Ellie had her maps out on the table. Were it a different time, they might have been a family planning a day trip before returning to their comfortable country home and watching television.

"See, here 30 goes north, toward Fort Wayne and Chicago." Joel said.

"We don't want to go through Chicago, do we? That looks like a big, fucking city." Ellie said.

"You had this whole area," Joel said, dragging his finger from Gary, Indiana, north through Chicago to Milwaukee, "that was pretty much solid people all along this lake. I don't particularly want to see what it's like now."

"So where it splits here," Ellie pointed, "this number 224 going west?"

"Looks good."

They finished up their breakfast of canned beef stew and packed up to leave. Ghost, having caught a rat earlier, was lying down close to what remained of it.

"Ewww, Ghost. At least hide it if you're finished - bury it or something," Ellie said.

"People eating rats was a big thing in parts of the zone in Boston." Joel said.

"Don't remind me. I was lucky, I guess and didn't have to go there," Ellie replied.

Later that day, after leaving Ohio for Indiana, they approached Huntington. Crossing the river, they veered left on a crossing street, looking to meet up with highway 24, headed west toward Illinois.

"Joel, look!" Ellie was pointing to an overturned passenger bus. "This must have been fairly recent. The bus isn't rusted out and the tires haven't turned to shit yet."

They cautiously approached the bus. Joel looked in through the window holes. "Nothing. No bodies. Maybe people had the same idea we had - avoid the big cities. They must have been going west, too." Joel said. "Let's be careful."

The sun was getting low in the sky when disaster struck. Just off to their right there was a rusting, dilapidated water tower that looked like it might fall any minute. Hundreds of birds were perched on top. By a sick coincidence, a hawk circled overhead and dove for the birds. As the hundreds of birds took off at once, the extra force was just enough to start the tower to fall.

"Ellie, look out!" Joel said, pulling her back the way they came, getting well away from where it would fall.

The tower fell with a thunderous crash. What followed was more horrifying. Half a dozen runners, a few clickers and a bloater came out of hiding, attracted by the crash of the tower.

"Shit!" Joel said, killing the first two runners with a baseball bat. Four more were close behind. Two chased Joel and two went after Ellie. As the two chased Ellie, a flash of black-and-white dashed between Ellie and the runners, barking savagely. Ghost danced to his left, causing one runner to chase him. The second runner sprinted toward Ellie as she ran away. As it got close, Ellie stopped, turned sideways and knelt. The momentum of the runner carried it over her as it tumbled to the ground. Ellie quickly got up and killed it with a head stab.

Ghost, occupied with the other runner, danced back and forth as the runner clumsily lunged toward the dog. The monster, intent on chasing the dog, died quickly as Ellie jumped on his back, leading with her knife in his neck. He collapsed as well.

Joel knocked one of the runners chasing him down and was killing the other with his bat. The runner that was knocked down got up and started toward Joel. Ellie drew a bead and dropped it with a headshot.

The clickers and the bloater, slower than the runners, were still coming. They heard the gunshot and followed the sound. Ellie sprinted away just as Joel came running. Before Joel got there, Ghost flashed in their midst, barking.

Because the monsters were blind, they navigated by sound. Ghost, barking constantly and circling them, confused the creatures. They jerked this way and that, following the barking which seemed to come from all directions around them. Ghost had instinctively herded the clickers and bloater in a tight group, even as they tried to chase and corner the sound.

"Joel, molotov!" Ellie yelled.

"No! Ghost is too close! It might splash him."

Ghost continued to bark and herd the lunging monsters. The bloater, enraged at the barking, made a tremendous lunge to get at the annoying fur-thing. Had this not been a life-and-death battle, what happened next would be comical. The bloater, pushing the clickers, lost its balance and fell on top of the clickers. The monsters, now in a pile, struggled to get up.

"Ghost!" Joel called, brandishing a molotov, "Come here! Come here, boy!"

Ghost, showing that magical bond of understanding between people and dogs, broke off his attack and sprinted toward Joel. Joel threw the molotov, scoring a direct hit on the clicker-bloater pile.

The clickers quivered, then died burning. The armored bloater, however, finally stood up, smoking and charred. He tossed one of his spore bombs at the three, who split up and ran just as the spore bomb hit.

Ghost, running and barking toward the bloater, resumed his barking and taunting. The bloater, confused at the barking that seemed to come from all directions, howled as he lurched first one direction, then back from where he came.

Joel and Ellie meanwhile drew beads on the bloater with their handguns and fired, both scoring headshots. The bloater's armor, already brittle from the molotov firebomb, proved ineffective as both bullets pierced the head armor. The bloater fell, twitched once and lay still.

"Oh, man, that was intense!" Ellie said.

Ghost, tail wagging, came up to her as she knelt and ruffed his head.

"Ghost, good dog but don't scare me like that!" She said.

"He looked like he knew what he was doin'" Joel said. "He scared me, too, but he did a number on 'em."

Ghost, tail wagging, licked Ellie's face and as Joel came over to pet him, licked his face, too.

"OK, boy, I love you, too," Joel said.

Breaking off the attention, much to Ghost's displeasure, Joel and Ellie looked to see if there was anything to scavenge. Two of the runners had automatics tucked into their belt, both with fully loaded clips.

"Once they become runners, I guess they forget how to use a gun." Ellie observed.

"For that, I am grateful." Joel replied, as he gave one clip to Ellie and tucked the other in his rucksack.

"It's a safe bet we attracted any infected within ten miles," Ellie said. "I vote we find a place and stay here the night."

"Good idea." Joel said.

They found a quiet house down a side street to spend the night. As a bonus, the owner left them six cans of chili. Ghost hadn't caught food in a while, so the other two shared the chili with him. Ghost laid on the floor, his head on his paws. Joel and Ellie were sitting next to him. Joel was checking out the tent they found earlier in Ohio.

"You seem comfortable in the outdoors," Ellie said. "Did you like to go camping and stuff?"

"I did. Where I lived in Texas, if you go a little ways west you get into what they call the 'hill country'. There was pretty rolling hills and valleys. At night, away from the lights, you could see the stars - thousands, maybe millions of them."

"I can't imagine camping, you know, just for fun." Ellie said wistfully.

Joel stared for a minute, thinking.

"Ellie, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"That you had to grow up in this world. It's not right. You should be going to movies, riding your bike, going to your schools football games - not killing these monsters and living in fear."

Ellie moved close to Joel and sat down beside him. She leaned on him and held his arm.

"I'm not afraid. I know you'll protect me. You shouldn't be afraid, either, because I'll protect you." Ellie said, smiling up at him.

"I know you will." Joel said, giving her a smile back. He reached over to scratch Ghost's head. "And Ghost will protect us both."

_Damn straight. _Ghost thought.

**a/n: I included the little section about the blackberries for a sentimental reason. My Ghost LOVED blackberries. They grew wild where we went for walks and, if I gave him the chance, he'd strip a bush in no time flat. I'm not sure if dogs see in color or not, but Ghost knew the color of a ripe blackberry and only ate those, leaving the unripe ones alone. **


	4. Interludes and Dreams

_Damn, Ellie, you're turning me into a lazy dog, _Ghost thought. The three were sitting in the shade by a small stream that was only twenty or so feet away. Ellie had just brought him some water in a bowl she carried. _I could walk the twenty feet if I was really thirsty, but thanks anyway._

Ghost wagged his tail in thanks and lapped up the water. They had stopped to rest in the afternoon, six days after leaving Huntington. Ghost finished drinking and lay down next to Ellie, his head on his paws.

Joel had been looking off in the distance for the last several minutes. He hadn't moved or said anything, even after Ellie had gotten Ghost some water. Ellie looked at him. "Joel? Are you okay?" she asked.

"Um, yeah. Just thinking."

"About what?"

He paused, and offered a facial expression that was a cross between a small smile and a grimace. "About how stupid I was in Pittsburgh. If I hadn't decided to go through the city we would've still had a car and probably found Tommy by now."

"All that's in the past, Joel. You did what you thought was best. What was that you said? 'Things happen then we move on'. Don't you think that pretty much sums it up?"

"It does. We still would've had a car, though."

"It's not like we haven't been looking. But, it's like you pointed out. Finding a car that's not shot to shit isn't the easiest thing in the world."

Joel smiled and laughed.

"What's so funny?" Ellie asked him, smiling back.

"When people sold cars, that was a line they should have used: 'buy a car that's not shot to shit'."

"Well, I'd be happy for one that's only shot a little ways to shit - as long as it runs."

"Me and you both. Guess we need to get going." Joel said, getting up. He held out his hand and helped Ellie up. Ghost was up as well and nuzzled Ellie's hand, hoping for a pet, which she obliged.

Highway 24 continued west to Peoria. The sun was going down as Joel, Ellie & Ghost reached the outskirts. Ellie pulled out her map for her and Joel to look at.

"I think we should go further south, staying east of the river, and cross here, at Pekin," Joel said. "Less likely we'll run into infected or hunters."

"And it looks like some people lived here so we might find stuff, too." Ellie said.

They turned off the main highway and found a secluded neighborhood. Some daylight was left so they went to search what houses they could for food and other items. The most valuable member of the team, by far, was Ghost. Joel and Ellie learned quickly to watch him when they were looking around. If he smelled or heard infected or hunters, he'd freeze and stare in the direction where the infected or hunters were. They hadn't encountered any since Huntington, due in no small part to Ghost's early warning system.

Ghost hadn't alerted them, so they searched the houses on this street. Most of the food had either been taken, had spoiled or been eaten by rats or other animals. In the ten houses they searched, they'd found several cans of beans and other vegetables and fruit.

So far, food and water hadn't been much of a problem for Joel, Ellie and Ghost. Most of the time they could find canned goods that hadn't gone bad in houses they searched. In between towns, they could usually shoot a small animal, like a squirrel or rabbit. They'd share these with Ghost sometimes, but Ghost would usually catch his own. He'd eat rats, too, which Joel and Ellie had not yet resorted to hunting.

"Did you see a house you liked where we could stay the night?" Joel asked.

"The first one here," Ellie gestured, "looks ok. The front door was solid and there were bookcases we could move in front of the windows."

_She's a better survivalist than I am. _ Joel thought. Ellie saw the small smile on his face.

"What's that smile for? Did I miss something?"

"Just the opposite, Ellie. You're better at scoping things out than me."

"Well, I learned it from you," nudging him playfully. "We need to check the backyard, too."

"Lead on, boss," Joel said.

The large backyard was empty, except for a few plastic children's toys and a rotted wooden fence.

"What's this?" Ellie asked, picking up a yellow ball.

"That's a tennis ball," Joel replied. "It was a game where people hit it back and forth over a net with a racket."

"A racket?"

"Um, it was a stick that ended in a big, hollow circle. Strings were crisscrossed in the circle and acted like a spring when the ball hit it."

"I guess you had to be there."

"Yeah, I never was much into it. Watching or playing."

Ghost trotted up, sniffing the ball in Ellie's hand.

"Ellie - throw the ball." Joel said.

"What?"

"Throw the ball - that way toward the fence," Joel pointed at the back of the fence, about twenty yards away.

_A ball! A ball! Throw it! _Ghost said.

Ellie threw the ball. _Yeah! _ Ghost said as he ran joyfully after it, picked it up and trotted back to Ellie. He sat down in front of her and she took the ball out of his mouth and threw it again. Retrieving it, he brought it back to her and chased it again as she threw it one more time.

_Let's see if you know this one. _Ghost said, smiling, as he brought the ball back to Ellie. Just when she went to take it out of his mouth, he danced away and sat down again.

"Ghost!" She said, laughing, as she went to get the ball, only to have him dance away again.

"Am I supposed to chase you to get the ball?" Ellie asked Ghost.

_Now you're getting it. _Ghost said, as he danced away once more.

The contest was decidedly one-sided, for even though Ellie shed her backpack and was quick and nimble, she was no match for Ghost, who easily eluded her as Joel laughed.

"Joel, help, don't just stand there laughing like a doofus." Ellie said. "Like you could do any better than me."

Joel took off his backpack and joined in the chase, but even two on one was still a mismatch. Ghost easily avoided both, having the most fun he'd had in a long while. Joel tried to catch Ghost with a desperate leap, but caught nothing but air and grass in his mouth. Ellie laughed so hard she had to stop and catch her breath.

When he finally wanted to chase the ball again, he dropped it and sat down. Joel threw the ball this time, and Ghost brought it back, only to tease Ellie and Joel once again and have them chase him again.

They continued this game for some time, until the guy, the girl and the dog were out of breath, down on the grass. Ellie was lying on her back with Joel sitting beside her. Ghost was laying close by. _That was fun! Keep the ball so we can do it again, please?_

Ellie sat up. "That was fun!"

"It was," Joel said.

"Where's the ball-we should keep it."

"Just what I was thinking. I don't know who had more fun, us or Ghost."

Ellie located the ball and put it in her backpack. _Yeah, _Ghost said.

Joel pulled his canteen out and offered it to Ellie. She drank, and then poured some in the bowl she pulled from her backpack. Ghost drank as she gave it back to Joel.

"Did you get enough?" Joel asked as he drank.

"I did, thanks. I hope I left you enough."

"You did. See if Ghost wants some more," he said, handing it back to Ellie.

Ghost did, and between the three they finished off Joel's canteen.

The three slowly got up and made their way inside the house. Joel and Ellie moved a heavy chair in front of the front door and a large bookcase in front of the windows for security. The front bedroom had a mattress that wasn't in terribly bad shape, so they moved that into the main room.

"Beans?" Ellie said, offering a can to Joel.

"Why not." He said, pulling his can opener out. Opening it, he sniffed and didn't smell anything that indicated they had spoiled. He handed the can and a spoon to Ellie. She sniffed as well before taking a spoonful.

They passed the can back and forth. Ellie offered, but Ghost didn't want any.

"I think he hunts during the night," Joel said. "More than once in the morning I've seen evidence of something that he's got during the night."

"Joel, do you mind," said Ellie, pretending to be offended, "I'm eating."

"Sorry," he said, smiling.

They finished the can, and lay down on the mattress to sleep.

Ghost had indeed during the night searched the house for something to eat. He didn't find anything though, and went back to lay down with Joel and Ellie.

_I'll try again later. Maybe something will smell the empty can and check it out. _But for now, he laid his head on his paws and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Ghost! Ghost!"

It was Damon, calling him! Ghost looked around. He was in the grass where Joel and Ellie first found him. Damon was running to him, being chased by those _things. _ Ghost sprinted between Damon and the _things_, distracting them like he did in the town where the tower fell.

The _things _started to chase Ghost, while Damon ran away. Ghost glanced toward Damon, watching him sprint safely away, then turned back to occupy those _things_ while Damon got further away. Ghost stopped. The _things _were no longer there. The street was deserted, except for Damon, standing there at the end. Ghost trotted up to him and sat down.

Damon knelt and hugged him. "I'm glad to see you, Shep."

_But, where are we?_

"I think I'm in your dream."

_I'm sorry, Damon. I should have helped you._

"That's okay. I got to see you grow up, and now you look like you're doing okay."

_Yeah. These are good people. You would like them. Did you see us playing like we used to?_

"I did - it made me smile to see you having fun again."

_Damon, we're not going to Boston any more. We're going to some place called Tommy's._

"I know. Ellie - the girl - she was bitten by one of the monsters, but she's immune. She's not going to become one."

_That's what I smelled a little bit different about her._

"Joel and Ellie are going to Tommy's to look for people that they hope will be able to use what Ellie has to cure people."

_Well I hope they don't cure the nasty people that used to chase us. They're worse than the things. _

"I know. You've done a good job staying away from them. Just remember, a lot of them have guns. If you have to fight them, you stay out of it - you hide. They'll shoot you and I don't want that. I want you to stay with Joel and Ellie. Keep them safe. They need you."

_I will. I miss you, Damon._

"I miss you, too, Shep."

* * *

Joel watched as the soldier raised his rifle to fire. He turned away with Sarah in his arms, shielding her and, instead of turning to run, fell to the ground on top of her. The spray of automatic gunfire broke the night silence.

He looked back from where he was lying on the ground. The soldier had disappeared. Puzzled, he got up, Sarah still in his arms. "It's okay, baby girl." Joel said. "You're safe. Where's Tommy? TOMMY!" He yelled.

"Daddy, I'm okay. You can put me down."

"Your leg, you can't walk, honey."

"I think I can. It's okay."

Joel gently set her down. Sarah stood beside him.

"Tommy! We have to go back after Tommy!" He told Sarah.

Sarah reached out and held his hand. "Uncle Tommy's okay. We don't have to go back."

"Yes we do, sweetheart. He might need help."

"Daddy." Sarah said. Joel looked at her and saw the ugly red gunshot wounds on her body.

"Sarah - how?" _Dreaming. I'm dreaming. Oh, God, the nightmares are going to come back. I can't deal with it._

"It's okay, Daddy. I don't think you are going to get the nightmares again. You needed help and I'm here to help you."

"I need help?"

Sarah nodded. "You want to be sure you're doing the right thing. You are. You're scared that something will happen to Ellie. Don't be scared, Daddy. Ellie is part of you, now. Not like I was, but she is. You love her and care for her and that makes me happy. You've got a long way to go and you want to keep her safe. You will. She's smart and she loves you. She has the will to live, to make it where you're going. You have that will, too. I know you will keep her safe."

"Oh, baby girl, I miss you so much." He said, hugging her tight.

"I'm always in your heart, Daddy. You know that. I'm never gone."

Joel's eyes flew open. He rolled over and looked behind him. Ellie was sleeping peacefully. He sighed quietly just as Ghost nudged his hand. He stroked his head. "It was just a dream. I'm okay." Joel said. Ghost sidled up to the edge of the mattress as Joel closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

"Riley, stop!" Ellie said, panicking.

"Why? The door out is this way." Riley said, pointing toward around the corner.

"No! There's infected around the corner. Run!" Ellie said, grabbing her best friend's sleeve to turn around and run away.

Both girls heard the horrible screech of a runner as they sprinted in the other direction.

They ran down the long-deserted mall, through a place where a store had once been to the outside in the misting rain.

"Riley! You're alive!" Ellie said, hugging her best friend.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because - um.."

"Because I'm really dead?"

Ellie stepped back. "You mean, I didn't - and-" Ellie struggled to hold back crying.

Riley took Ellie's arm and pushed up her sleeve. Ellie saw the bite scar was still there. She held up her arm to show Ellie her scar as well.

"Riley, I'm so sorry. I wanted to die with-"

Riley put her finger against Ellie's mouth. "Ellie, hush that. You lived for a reason. He's right there." Ellie looked where Riley was pointing and saw Joel sleeping.

"Joel? He's why I'm alive? I don't understand." Ellie said puzzled.

"I can't tell you everything, but I can tell you this. You are the most important thing in the world to him. You're his reason for living. He will go to the ends of the earth to protect you. For a long time, Joel didn't feel anything. He didn't feel love, or want, or happiness, he just lived. With you here, he feels those things again. He's just now figuring that out. It's an awakening and without you here, it never would have happened."

Ellie started to tear up.

"Ellie, you're strong. Stronger than you think. Protect each other - help each other. You need him and he needs you."

"Riley, don't go!"

"Ellie, I'm always here," Riley said, putting her hand over her heart.

Ellie awoke with a gasp and looked over at Joel, lying with his back toward her. She reached out her hand and touched his shoulder. "I will, Riley," she whispered. "I will."


	5. This Warm Blanket

Ghost poked his nose through the tent flap and sniffed the morning air. He smelled nothing that would cause concern. He walked outside and around, still sniffing for signs of danger. His sensitive nose caught a faint odor of a fire, but given his keen sense of smell, it could have been a hundred miles away. Other smells, like the smell of a coyote and deer, were also faint and probably days old. He went to the river bank and drank, then turned as he heard Joel and Ellie.

Joel felt Ghost get up and go outside. He quietly sat up, not wanting to wake Ellie just yet. He thought back, and as best as he could count the days, he figured that they had been on the road for almost three months. Ellie had an amazing, positive attitude and deserved any extra sleep she wanted. Not once had Ellie complained or whined.

They had set up the tent on what Ellie's map called the South Platte River just outside of Greeley, Colorado. For almost two months since Peoria, the three had been walking west. They first followed Highway 136 all the way across Missouri and halfway across Nebraska. Highway 136 ended, so they started following Highway 34, which took them into Colorado. The decision to stay off of the interstates and main highways proved to be a good one. Since encountering the infected at Huntington, they had not seen a single living person, infected or otherwise.

The minor highways they kept to were passable, for the most part. The pavement was overgrown with grass and scrub brush, and they had to negotiate quite a few places where the road had washed out. Fortunately, the bridges over the big rivers, the Illinois and Mississippi, were still standing. Joel was sure the spans would support the weight of two people and a dog, but the three quickly crossed both bridges nevertheless. A few bridges over the smaller rivers had been washed out, but the rivers were shallow and quiet enough for them to wade across.

Their routine became second nature. If they stayed at an abandoned house or camped near houses, they scavenged in the houses in the mornings after they ate. Then they would walk, resting when they were tired and eating when hungry. The freeze dried food ran out about a week ago, but they found enough canned goods and hunted enough small animals so as to not starve. Ellie was becoming the better hunter. She was smaller and quieter and almost as accurate as Joel with the bow. Ghost could almost always catch a rabbit or chipmunk or other small animal, but if he didn't, Joel and Ellie would always share with him.

As they traveled further west and higher in elevation, the depth of the fall weather became more apparent. In addition to scavenging for food, Joel and Ellie also found jackets and warmer shoes to wear. Joel and Ellie noticed in petting Ghost that he had started to grow his winter coat, too.

_We're almost there. _Joel thought. _Maybe about another month. I just hope winter doesn't set in before then. _He felt a stir and saw Ellie stretching.

"Morning," he said.

"Morning to you," she replied. "Ghost making his rounds?"

"I suppose so." Joel said as he rose to his knees and climbed outside. Ellie followed a moment later. Ghost trotted up to them and sat to be petted. He was not disappointed. Joel built a small fire to heat up the canned beans, while Ellie retrieved the tennis ball from her backpack and played fetch with Ghost.

After breakfast and packing up the tents and sleeping bags, the three resumed walking. Ellie mapped out the day's route, highway 85 north to 14 west, which would take them around Fort Collins to highway 287, which was their route into Wyoming.

By the end of the day, they had made it to the outskirts of Fort Collins. They had come to a small neighborhood, one of those neighborhoods with cookie-cutter houses that looked alike. At least, before the world moved on.

"Joel, look." Ellie said, pointing at the houses. "See the house second from the end."

Joel looked. The houses were almost identical, normal frame houses with a garage on one end. Something, however, about the house Ellie pointed out was definitely different. It wasn't so totally overrun by vegetation like the others were. It was almost as if somebody tried to take care of it for several years, then gave up.

"It's cleaner than the others." Joel said. "It's not totally overgrown, like somebody's been living there."

"Yeah," Ellie said. "Isn't that weird?"

Ghost was watching the house as well. His ears were perked up, but he wasn't growling or giving any other indication that hunters or infected were nearby.

"Let's check it out - carefully," Joel said.

Ellie nodded and pulled her pistol out. Joel did the same. They approached the house from the end, but couldn't see anything through the dirty windows. Ellie looked around back and didn't see anything. She tried the back door, which was locked or otherwise blocked. She joined Joel at the front door. He pushed carefully and felt resistance.

"The back door had something blocking it, too." Ellie said.

"I've got a funny feeling," Joel whispered. "Let's try to get in quiet."

"I'll try the windows on this side," Ellie said. "See if any are unlocked."

"I'll try over here," Joel said.

He first tried the garage, which was locked as well. He went to the side of the house, which had a window to the garage at eye level. Looking closely, he saw that most of the putty holding in the glass pane had turned to dust or fell out. He found a small stick and used it to remove the rest of the putty. Quietly working on the glass pane, he worked it out without making noise and put it on the grass, then unlocked and raised the window.

Walking around the house to find Ellie, he met her coming around.

"All the windows on this side are locked," she said quietly.

"I think I found something," Joel said, leading her around and showing her the open window.

"Good job, Joel. Boost me through."

"Don't go through just yet. Let me lift you up and see what you can see inside. Make sure it's safe to go in." Joel said.

Ellie put her foot in his interlaced hands and Joel lifted her up. She looked in several seconds with her flashlight. "Okay," she said.

After letting her down, Ellie said, "I think there's a car in there."

"A car?"

"Yeah, not all wrecked. Maybe we can use it. Boost me through and I'll let you in."

Joel boosted her through and she opened the garage door enough for Joel and Ghost to crawl under. The garage did indeed hold a car, a small SUV, and, like Ellie said, in pretty good condition. Even the tires weren't flat. Looking around the rest of the garage, he saw several five-gallon gas cans, a small generator and what looked like a battery charger.

"Ellie, you know what this means?" Joel said, shining the flashlight toward the generator.

"A generator?" Ellie said.

"And next to it - it looks like a battery charger. If we can get the generator running, we can recharge this car's battery."

"Oh, wow. We'd have a car!"

"Yep. Let's check out the rest of the house." Joel said.

Joel moved to the door at the back of the garage. He paused, listening carefully. Joel looked at Ghost. He had been standing there, head cocked, but not growling or otherwise alerting them of any danger. Joel tried the knob. It turned and the door slowly opened. Joel went slowly through, followed by Ellie. Ghost followed close behind.

The kitchen was relatively clean. It was dusty, but not like other places they'd seen that had been abandoned for thirty years.

"Someone's here, Ellie." Joel whispered. "Be careful."

Joel and Ellie moved silently through the kitchen into the front room. They saw a large cabinet, tipped over on its side, blocking the door. At the end of the room, chunks and pieces of wood were piled high in the corner, taller than Joel and spreading out five feet or more from the walls. The pile covered the doorway into what could have been the living room. Joel backtracked to the kitchen and went through the other door, into an empty room that was probably once was the dining room. A large doorway opened into the living room. Through the darkness, Joel could see a large fireplace at the end. A couch and chair were facing the fireplace. He and Ellie turned on their flashlights and looked.

In the back corner of the room, away from the fireplace, dozens of canned goods were stacked neatly and sorted, along with several plastic jugs of water. A can opener was on the floor next to the stack. Joel and Ellie walked to the fireplace. Ellie trained her flashlight on the chair next to the couch.

"Joel." She said quietly.

Joel looked and saw the body. It was an old man, sitting, with his head back, on a large blanket that covered the chair. The blanket was wrapped around his lap, held in place by his hands. His skin was dried and cracked, but the body hadn't started to decompose fully yet. Ellie noticed this, too.

"He hasn't been dead as long as the others, has he?" Ellie asked.

"No. He may have died only a month or so ago." Joel said.

Another blanket was neatly folded on the couch. Joel unfolded it and gently covered the old man. He looked at the dimming light through the curtains. Ghost had quietly and respectfully lain down next to the chair.

"We need to find a place for the night." Joel said. "We don't have to stay here, if you don't want too."

"It's okay." Ellie said. "We can sleep in that other room."

Joel noticed a book and a pen on the table in between the chair and the couch. He picked it up. It was filled with writing. On the last page, in the light of the flashlight, he read:

_The nights are starting to get cool. I have enough wood for another winter, I think, but I won't need it. It's getting so hard to breathe, now, damn this cancer or whatever it is. Funny, isn't it. I never took one puff off a cigarette, now my lungs are going to kill me. I guess that's how it is sometimes. Did the rest of the world die, too? Am I the last one? _

_I had to stop writing. I really can't breathe now. It seems like I can't get air past my throat. What's it going to be like? I hope I pass out, go to sleep. I hope I wake up in a better place. Nicole and Jack and Maria will be there, too. I'm getting tired, now. No one will be around to bury me. I just hope I dissolve into dust before something gets me. After I finish writing, I'm going to close this book and put it on the table. God might be the only one to see it and I hope he likes what he reads. I would have helped people, if I could. Nobody came around. I would have shared my food, given them a place to sleep, but they never came. I think God will understand. It's getting cold now. I think I will wrap myself in this warm blanket and go to sleep._

Joel felt his eyes welling up as he thought of the letters from Ish in the sewers. He felt sadness and pain for the life of Ish and this man, and for the lives of all of the good ones, the ones who lived through this hell and refused to forget what it meant to be human.

Ellie came over. Her flashlight showed Joel's face. "Joel, what's wrong?" She asked gently.

He handed her the book, still open to the last entry. She read it, carefully closed the book and put it down. A small tear rolled down her cheek as she embraced Joel in a deep hug.


	6. Tom's House

The next morning, Ellie was reading aloud from the journal.

_"Day One. I made it home. Proof that once an old man sets his mind to something, by God, he's going to do it. Tom, you crazy old coot, they said. You're not going to make it. Well, I did. I can't believe the house is still here, intact and undamaged. Even my car and the stuff in my garage were left alone. Not a soul left in the neighborhood. I guess what must have happened here was, after everyone left for the quarantine zone in Denver, whether by choice or not, the infected must have come and remained for a while. They didn't have any reason to break into houses or loot, and they must have scared away the people who didn't go the QZ. For whatever reason, they're gone now. It was a hard walk here, for someone 76 years old. It took me over a week, but with all of the chaos around the QZ and everybody leaving it, it was best to be slow and careful. I didn't need to run into anybody who might want to kill me just for killing, or worse. It was easy enough to avoid the infected. Just stay real quiet and wait for them to pass. Think I'll rest up now."_

"So his name is Tom." Ellie said. "Seems more respectful, now that we can call him 'Tom' instead of 'that guy'"

"Did Tom write how long ago he came here?" Joel asked.

Ellie flipped to the last few pages. "He says here this would be his fifth winter here. That's a long time to last by yourself."

Joel found a box of matches that Tom had carefully sealed in a mason jar. He started a fire in the fireplace and was heating up some beef stew for breakfast. "It is. I've heard people who are alone for a long time just lose it - go crazy. It seems like he was one of those that didn't, or at least he didn't before he died. " Joel said. He slowly stirred the stew. "After we eat, we should give him a proper burial."

"That's what I was thinking. It only seems right, with him thinking he wouldn't get one." Ellie said.

Outside, the sky was a bright Colorado blue, with only a few clouds. Joel and Ellie moved Tom's body outside to rest in his back yard. Joel found a shovel in the utility room by the back door and he was testing the ground with it. "One spot seems as good as the next, I guess." He said, as he started to dig.

Taking turns and working slowly, by the late afternoon they had almost a proper place to bury Tom. Ghost had lain down in the grass and watched, his head on his paws. He was taking all of this in and thinking back.

_This is the second time I've seen this. The first time was when Damon buried those two people. I don't know if I'll understand completely about people, but this seems to be something they must do even if they don't know the people. Ever since they found this man, Ellie and Joel have had the sad smell on them. Were they sad he died before they could help him? Or maybe they were sad just because he was a person, too. Damon had the sad smell, too, when he buried those two people. I remember. The bad people with guns were chasing two women, and they shot them. They were laughing. I could smell the crazy bad smell, so hard it was making me sick. The people who have the crazy bad smell are worse than the ones with the sick smell. They were laughing at the people they shot, kicking them and shooting them again. I could feel Damon getting angry. I hoped he wouldn't do anything. The bad people finally left, and Damon sat for a long time. He was sad, not angry and stayed that way for a long time. I put my head in his lap and he petted me. He finally got up and carried the bodies behind a house. The next day and the next, he dug two holes and put the women in them and covered them up. _

Joel was finishing Tom's grave and Ellie was sitting by Ghost. He put his head in her lap and licked her hand. She stroked his head.

Joel climbed out of the grave and Ellie got up. Quietly, they picked up Tom in his blanket and gently lowered him into the grave. They took turns again covering him with the Colorado soil until the grave was filled. Standing beside the grave, Ellie leaned into Joel and he put his arm around her.

"I know he's in a better place. He has been for quite some time." Joel said.

"Yeah. He has." Ellie replied. "At least there are some good people still out there."

"There are." Joel said. "We'll find them."

Later that evening, Ellie was sitting by the fire reading aloud from Tom's journal. _"Day 47. This morning is the coldest so far. I'm worried about lighting a fire. What if the smoke brings some of those marauders here? That's funny when you think about it. I spent all of this time filling my house with wood to last the winter and now I'm worried about starting a fire. I don't have much of a choice, do I? No gas in the pipes, but I'm not surprised. Well, here goes. The fire's been going for most of the day, and the Mongol hordes haven't shown up at my door, so I guess that's a good sign. The temperature's dropped a lot today and the clouds look like snow. I've cleaned out the houses on this side of Knollwood. I'll start on the other side tomorrow."_

Ellie finished reading and yawned. "I think that's enough for today."

She and Joel had moved the couch and chair away from the fireplace and moved a mattress from one of the bedrooms in front of it. Joel, who had been sitting on the edge of the mattress, got up.

"I should take Ghost out one last time before we go to bed." He said. Ghost saw Joel and went to the back door.

"I'll come too." Ellie said.

As Ghost sniffed around the yard, Joel looked up at the stars. Ellie came over and leaned against him.

Joel put his arm around her. "I've looked at the stars these past few months, since we left Boston. When I was there, I never remember just taking the time to look at the stars. With Tess, we were just surviving - I never took time to look at the sky and feel what it was like to live, to be alive, to appreciate pretty things."

_That was the first time he mentioned Tess since we left Boston. _Ellie thought. She remembered her dream about Riley, and leaned closer.

Joel notice Ghost patiently waiting at the back door. "Let's get some sleep." Joel said, guiding a still-leaning Ellie to the door. "We've got a car to get running tomorrow."

* * *

"No gas." Joel said as he checked out the last of the five gallon cans. "None in the generator, either."

"What about in the car?" Ellie asked.

"Uh -"

"Didn't think about that, didja?" Ellie said, mildly gloating. "I bet you're glad you brought me along."

"Yeah." Joel said in a tired voice. "You're not as much of a burden as I thought you'd be."

"Not as much of a burden -" Ellie shrilled, then saw that Joel was smiling.

"Gotcha." He said. Joel checked the SUV's gas tank with a long stick. No gas.

"Well, what do we do?"

"We take Bill's siphon that he so graciously gave us, and see what we can find." Joel took a long pipe that was leaning on the wall. "We can use this to carry the can on our shoulders so it isn't so heavy."

* * *

Early in the afternoon on the sixth day of collecting gas, Joel and Ellie siphoned only enough gasoline to fill three of the cans.

"We've checked almost every car in a two-hour walk from the house." Joel said. "We can't go much further or risk being out after night. Let's take this and go back. If that car can get running, it should take us far enough we can stop and get more gas on the road."

"I'm all for that." Ellie said.

They hefted the gas can between their shoulders and started walking back. Ghost, who had been prowling the edge of the parking lot, saw them leave and trotted alongside.

"Bill was almost right." Ellie said.

"What do you mean?"

"He said 'you'd be amazed at how many cars still got gas in 'em.' He should have said how many cars still don't got gas in 'em. I bet we've checked a hundred cars."

"Probably more." Joel said. "I hope it's worth it."

They arrived back at Tom's house just as the sun was going down. The evening ritual these past few days had been while one of them heated up something to eat, the other read aloud from Tom's journal.

Joel was reading. _"Day 365. One year since I've been here. I still haven't seen anybody. It's getting to where I'd almost want anybody to come, just to see another person. Even some of those marauding bands. Don't think they'd do an old man much harm. Especially since I'd let them take whatever they wanted, if they would only stay a few days."_

"Would he really want that?" Ellie asked. "I mean, some of those people in Pittsburgh. They weren't even what I'd call human anymore."

"Being alone for so long, you might just want to see any person, no matter what kind they are. But, yeah, there are too many people like we saw in Pittsburgh, or worse. When I told you I was on both sides, I saw myself as doing only what I needed to do to survive. The people I was with, they changed and went from that to doing things like beating and killing people for no reason at all. I couldn't be there anymore. I left in the middle of the night and made my way to Boston."

Ellie brought over the cans and they ate. After eating, and exhausted from the day spent scavenging the last of the precious gasoline, Joel, Ellie and Ghost lay down on the mattress to sleep.

"Joel?" Ellie asked.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you left and came to Boston."

"Me, too."


	7. Journey Resumed

"Check the window. Is it open?" Joel asked.

"Window's open." Ellie said

"What about the door. Is it open a little?"

"The garage door is open about six inches."

"Good. All we need now is for one of us to get carbon monoxide poisoning."

Joel and Ellie had found the car keys on a hook in the kitchen. They took the battery out of Tom's car and put it on the shelf beside the charger. They then used a measuring cup taken from the kitchen to put gas in the generator.

"Did I ever tell you what happened when I started the generator in the hotel basement in Pittsburgh?" Joel grinned.

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Only about ten times. The next time you tell it, you'll say you killed that bloater with a dinner fork."

"Well, here goes." Joel said. He pulled violently on the starter cord. Nothing. A second, then a third. Nothing. On the sixth try, a _phut-phut-phut_ slowly built to a steady sound of the generator motor. Joel let out a heartfelt sigh, plugged in the battery charger and connected it to the terminals. The red indicator stick on the charger moved just a little bit, and a small green light came on.

"This just might work. We'll check on it in an hour or so." Joel said.

They moved back in the house. The generator was still audible, but the walls of the house muffled the sound nicely. Joel hoped the garage walls muffled it just as much, just in case any stray infected happened to pass by. Ghost didn't like the smell of gasoline, so he waited in the house. When Joel and Ellie came in, he pointedly walked to the back door.

"Let's wait in back." Ellie said. "We can leave the back door open so the house gets ventilation, too.

Joel, Ellie and Ghost moved to the back yard to wait. Ellie retrieved the tennis ball and they played fetch with Ghost. After that game, Ellie took out Tom's journal and read another entry.

"_Year 2, Day 121. I can hear the storm blowing outside. It's been going on for almost a day. I'm sure the house is almost buried. This winter seems worse than last winter. I hope my wood holds out. It looks like I haven't made much of a dent in it, so here's hoping. I've read every book in the house twice, I think. My latest project, one that I hope keeps me occupied for a long time, is going through the Bible again. This time I'm summarizing the chapters and writing the characters down. So far, I'm only halfway through Leviticus. They sure had some weird laws, didn't they? I don't think I'd make it a day in that time. I loved my cheeseburgers too much. Wonder if I'll dream of cheeseburgers tonight. I haven't thought about them in a long time. I guess the last cheeseburger I had was in Denver. What was the cook's name? George? He had those milk cows and made the best cheese. He hated the army, too and shorted them on the cheese and gave us more than he was supposed to. Now I'm rambling. It's late and I'm tired."_

"What - if you lived back then you couldn't have a cheeseburger? That's fucked up." Ellie said.

"I can't be sure, but I think they had religious laws that said you couldn't eat meat and cheese together - maybe that's it." Joel offered.

"Why? What's the harm in it?"

"Churches had a lot of power back then, and that was probably one way they went about showing it - by making weird laws and having the people just blindly follow them."

"Well, I would've told them to fuck off." Ellie said.

Joel allowed himself a small smile. "I would have probably said the same thing. Never was much into people tellin' me what to do for no good reason." He stood up. "Let's check on the battery. Be careful when you go in, if you feel sleepy, go back outside pronto."

"Okay."

Ghost wanted nothing to do with the smell and stayed outside. Joel and Ellie went back in to the garage. The red needle showed almost three-quarters of a charge.

"I hope that's enough." Joel said. "If the car starts, then the alternator will charge the battery."

Joel turned off the generator, unclipped the battery and attached the wires from the car. "Shit." Joel said. "I almost forgot."

"What?" Ellie said.

He bent over the open hood. "We need to check the oil and water." He located the oil dipstick and checked. "It looks okay." Next, Joel opened the radiator cap. He used the flashlight to look in the radiator. "We should add a little bit of water, just to the top here."

Ellie retrieved a water jug and added some. "Enough?" She asked.

"Looks good."

They then took one of the gas cans and the measuring cup and put about half of the can in the car.

Joel looked at Ellie with what he hoped was a reassuring and confident look. "Guess it's time to try it out." He handed the keys to Ellie. "Do you want the honor?" he asked.

Ellie's eyes got wide. "Does that mean I get to drive first if it starts?"

"No." Ellie started to protest. "But I'll let you drive after we get on the highway."

"You better. Because this car is starting." She took the keys and sat in the driver's seat. Putting the key in the ignition, she turned. The car's engine turned over for several seconds. Just as Joel was going to tell her to stop trying, the engine started.

"All right!" Ellie said, and Joel let out a breath. That was the most wonderful sound both had ever heard.

With silly grins on both of their faces, they listened to the car's engine for a few more minutes. "Okay, turn it off - we'll pack up." Joel said.

Ellie obliged. Ghost had come in the house and was looking through the garage door, tail slowly wagging. Ellie went up to him and ruffed he fur around his head. "Did you hear that, Ghost, we're going!"

Joel and Ellie packed up their gear and the remaining food. Ellie had already looked at the bookcases and found several books she wanted to take. Joel had likewise pulled a few out as well. They loaded the SUV with the food, gear and remaining gas cans and made one final check.

"I think we should take Tom's journal." Ellie said. "It seemed like he would want others to read it."

"I think you're right." Joel said. "Tom said he would have helped people if they came by. Well, he helped us. A lot."

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive?" Ellie asked

"I'm sure. I need you to navigate, at least until we get on a highway."

As Joel opened the garage door, Ellie and Ghost got in. Joel sat down and turned the key. It started, causing Joel to breathe another sigh of relief. He backed out and, before leaving, closed the garage door. "I thought we should close the garage. It's only right to leave it the way we found it." Joel said.

Ellie had gotten the map book out. "Ok, we want to go that way," She gestured down the road. "It looks like if we make our way to Highway 287, then that takes us into Wyoming."

Joel guided the SUV past the abandoned and crashed cars. As he passed through an intersection, he had a nightmarish flashback of a speeding truck crashing into his car. _That's how it all started, so long ago. Sarah and Tommy, the madness of the first months, the years since, life in Boston with Tess. _He looked over at Ellie, who was busy reading the map. _She's my reason for living now, _he thought. _I won't ever let anything happen to you, Ellie. I promise. _

On the way out of town, Joel stopped several times so that they could check the abandoned cars for gas. They only managed to fill about half of a can before giving up.

"It looks like about a day to get to Jackson," Ellie said. "Do we have enough gas to last a day?"

"I hope so. It should get us most of the way there." Joel said.

Ellie guided Joel to Highway 287, and then onto Interstate 80. The land was prairie and fields, with no trees as far as the eye could see. Joel let Elle drive while he read some more pages from Tom's journal to Ellie and Ghost.

_Year 3, Day 300. I swear I heard an engine again. That's the second time in the last week. I went outside, but didn't see anything. It was a clear day, and I could see the mountains. Nicole loved the mountains. I remember her saying she never saw a real mountain until she came out here with me. If it wasn't so far, I'd go back to Lory Park. That was where we had our last picnic a few months before the sickness came. Maria and Jack were in school. I remember it so well. We both took off from work. I brought the fried chicken, potato salad and Nicole brought the wine. It was a pretty day like today. I forgot to bring glasses so we just took turns drinking from the bottle. I miss you so much, Nicole. Nicole. All of this time, all this writing about me and what I've been doing but I never said anything about you. If someone is going to find this and read this, they deserve to know about you and Jack and Maria. I met Nicole Vega when I was in Chicago, getting my master's degree. She was a doctor, working at Chicago Presbyterian Hospital. We met at church, at St. Jude's. Her mother was so happy because she had only recently talked Nicole into going back to church. She was already a resident then and didn't have a lot of time and when she did, she was too tired. But, because she loved her mother so much, she went back. Her mother even promised not to fuss at her if she fell asleep during mass. Nicole made her mother happy with a real catholic wedding. I think we both went to church just to make our parents happy, and look what happened. Nicole was such a good doctor. I already decided to move to wherever she found a job. It was her that wanted to go back with me to Fort Collins and it turns out, she loved Fort Collins and the hospital loved her. She was beautiful and funny and the best wife and mother anyone could ask for. She always saw the best in people, she was always compassionate and kind. That's something this world needs more of, and I'd like to think I tried, for Nicole. _

"Do you ever think we're going to be like that again, or is everyone always going to be like the hunters?" Ellie asked.

"I lived so much of my life after the outbreak seeing the worst in people, it's easy to forget that there are still a lot of people who aren't like that. Like Tommy. We didn't part on the best of terms, but he always tried to do good. If any of that rubs off on anybody he's met out here, then that's a start."

"Joel, I know you did what you thought you had to do. That doesn't make it right, but -" Ellie paused for a minute while she thought. "But you've changed. I've seen that, and your brother will see that too. You may be more alike now than you think."

Ellie guided the SUV as she exited off I-80 and onto highway 191. She glanced over at Joel, who was dozing, and gently placed her hand on top of his.


End file.
